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At Chicago Emerging Stars, we don’t believe in waiting until young people are “ready” to lead. We believe they already are. They just need the space to do it. Over the past few weeks, that belief has been coming to life through our Community STARS: Youth Changemakers Lab. What started as a room full of young people has quickly become something much deeper, a space where voices are heard, ideas are taken seriously, and leadership is practiced in real time. From the very first

The holiday season is a time for joy, connection, and togetherness and at Chicago Emerging Stars, we believe every family deserves to experience that feeling. This season, Chicago Emerging Stars proudly partnered with the 006th District Community Policing Office to support a Holiday Toy Drive centered on dignity, choice, and community care. Together, through the generosity of our partners and supporters, more than 1,000 toys were distributed to over 300 families across Chicag

This month, Chicago Emerging Stars was honored to be featured in a City Bureau story highlighting how young Chicagoans are creating their own community spaces in a post-pandemic world. While the article centers on youth-led third spaces and mental health, for us, this feature represents something even deeper: proof that young people are not waiting to be invited into leadership, we are building it ourselves. Chicago Emerging Stars was born from lived experience, loss, love, a